Would A Trade For Former Canucks Goaltender Markström Make Sense For Vancouver?

A familiar name to Vancouver Canucks fans hit trade rumours a couple of days ago. 

Kevin Weekes of ESPN was the first to report that the New Jersey Devils are “gauging market interest” for goaltender Jacob Markström. The former Canuck left Vancouver in free-agency in 2020 and ended up going from the Calgary Flames to the Devils via trade. He signed a two-year extension worth $6M per year in October of 2025, with both years including modified no-trade clauses. 

Markström’s 2025–26 season wasn’t terrible, by any means. The 36-year-old started the bulk of the Devils’ games, putting together a record of 23–19–1 and a 3.07 GAA and .883 SV%. The previous post-season, despite winning only one game, the goaltender managed to put up a 2.78 GAA and .911 SV% in New Jersey’s first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. In Game 5 of this series, he faced 54 shots. He’s a capable goaltender who likely wants to chase a Stanley Cup as his NHL career progresses. 

That said, could the right move result in Markström returning to Vancouver? 

As a Canuck, Markström’s time in Vancouver began when he was brought into the organization as part of the Roberto Luongo trade in 2014. He didn’t make the full-time jump to the NHL until the 2015–16 season, during which he registered a 2.73 GAA and .915 SV% in 33 games played. The goaltender spent four seasons as teammates of now co-Presidents of Hockey Operations Daniel and Henrik Sedin, having also played alongside them at the 2013 IIHF World Championship and 2016–17 World Cup of Hockey. Markström also spent three seasons in Vancouver with Manny Malhotra as an assistant coach. 

There’s a clear familiarity between Markström and the organization that could provide success from a culture perspective. With Vancouver’s current status as a rebuilding team, bringing back a former player in Markström could make sense if they were able to acquire assets as a return for taking on the veteran’s salary. Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson has made it clear that he’s a big believer in acquiring leaders moving forward, and given his previous experience with Vancouver and how big of an impact he had on some of the team’s young players in his time there, Markström’s return could provide a neat story. However, logistically speaking, this isn’t a path the Canucks should follow. 

The first — and most obvious — thing to consider is how bringing in Markström would make Vancouver’s already-cluttered goaltending situation even more cluttered than it already is. For a deal for Markström to work, Vancouver would need to send one of Thatcher Demko or Kevin Lankinen back the other way. With Lankinen’s contract currently carrying a no-move clause, Demko would have to be the one flipped — though this could only take place before July 1, as Demko’s own no-move clause would kick-in alongside his new $8.5M annual cap hit. 

Even if, hypothetically, Demko is moved for Markström, the Canucks still haven’t erased their cluttered goaltending issue. While they may have shaved $2.5M per year (and a whole extra year of $8.5M) off their goaltending budget in this scenario, they’d still have to deal with the fact that Nikita Tolopilo is also waiting in the wings — this time unable to be sent down to the Abbotsford Canucks without having to pass through waivers. 

Unless they flipped both Demko and Tolopilo somehow — which could still be possible, but would take a lot of work — Vancouver would be losing out on assets for a goaltender. 

Something else to keep in mind when it comes to a Markström move is that the goaltender has yet to win his first Stanley Cup — something that would likely be a priority for him given that he can still perform well and is still capable of stealing games for his team. Through his 16-year NHL career, Markström has only made the post-season three times — once with Vancouver (2020), once with the Flames (2022), and once with New Jersey (2025). The farthest he has gone is Game 7 of the second round. As his career draws on, it’s likely Markström would want to chase a Cup with a contending team rather than engage in another rebuild. 

The veteran also has a 20-team no-trade list in the first year of his deal, though it’s unclear which teams are currently on it. 

Despite the cultural fit, as much as Vancouver has relied on bringing back old voices in shaping their management staff, bringing Markström back to the Canucks isn’t a move that the organization should pursue at this moment. While recouping assets to take on his two-year contract would be favourable for a Vancouver team that doesn’t look to be contending any time soon, there are too many moving pieces that would need to be juggled in order for him to make his return, including packaging up one or two of their current goaltenders. 

At the end of the day, Markström’s services would be best suited for a different team — one that’s closer to contending than Vancouver currently is. 

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